Monolithic multijunction power converter

ABSTRACT

Resonant cavity power converters for converting radiation in the wavelength range from 1 micron to 1.55 micron are disclosed. The resonant cavity power converters can be formed from one or more lattice matched GaInNAsSb junctions and can include distributed Bragg reflectors and/or mirrored surfaces for increasing the power conversion efficiency.

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/936,222, filed on Feb. 5, 2014, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to the field of power conversion.

BACKGROUND

Power converters may be used in a number of applications to charge electronic devices, such as cell phones, audio systems, home theaters, or any other electronic devices, from a power source. It is well known in the field that Ohmic losses are inversely related to an increase in voltage and directly related to an increase in current. It is advantageous, then, to increase the fill factor of power converter devices by increasing the voltage of the devices.

Prior art power converters in the field include monolithically series-connected single layer converters made of semiconductor wafers, such as GaAs. Such power converters may be connected in series by wiring or sectored off by manufacturing the converter on a semi-insulating substrate using insulating trenches to provide electrical insulation between each sectored converter. The energy source for such power converters is a monochromatic light, such as a laser operating at a particular wavelength or energy. In this particular application, the monochromatic light is between 1 micron to 1.55 microns, in the infrared region of the spectrum. Closer to 1 micron is less advantageous for home use due to the potential dangers of the light source to the human eye, so the focus of the embodiments disclosed herein is on light sources between 1.3-1.55 microns, and in certain embodiments, around 1.3 microns. However, those skilled in the field may easily modify the invention disclosed herein to convert light of a number of wavelengths.

SUMMARY

The invention comprises a compact, monolithic multijunction power converter, with two or more epitaxial layers of the same material stacked on top of one another with tunnel junctions in between each epitaxial layer. Because the epitaxial layers are stacked on top of one another, each epitaxial layer is thinned to collect a maximum amount of light and converts power in series to increase the fill factor by increasing voltage of the overall device and decreasing Ohmic losses (which increase with current increase). Given the stacked epitaxial layers, light which is not absorbed in one layer is absorbed in the next layer directly beneath the first layer and so on. The power converter may reach an overall efficiency of approximately 50%. There are minimal current losses in these devices given that complex circuitry is avoided using the vertical stacking of the epitaxial layers, compared to the prior art, which requires interconnections between the semiconductor light absorbing sectors.

In a first aspect, power converters are provided, comprising one or more GaInNAsSb junctions; a first semiconductor layer overlying the one or more GaInNAsSb junctions; and a second semiconductor layer underlying the one or more GaInNAsSb junctions; wherein a thickness of the one or more GaInNAsSb junctions, the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer are selected to provide a resonant cavity at an irradiated wavelength.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a monolithic multijunction power converter in which E₁, E₂, and E₃ represent semiconductor materials having the same bandgap.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show single junction and triple junction resonant power converters, respectively, with dual distributed Bragg reflectors (DBR), according to certain embodiments.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show single junction and triple junction resonant power converters, respectively, with single DBRs, according to certain embodiments.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show single junction and triple junction resonant power converters, respectively, with a top DBR and a back mirror, according to certain embodiments.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show single junction and triple junction resonant power converters, respectively, with a back mirror, according to certain embodiments.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show single junction and triple junction resonant power converters, respectively, with two DBRs and a top substrate, according to certain embodiments.

FIGS. 7A and 8B show single junction and triple junction resonant power converters, respectively, with a substrate overlying a top DBR and a back mirror, according to certain embodiments.

FIGS. 8A and 8B show single junction and triple junction resonant power converters, respectively, with two DBRs and etched back contacts to lateral conducting layers (LCL), according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 9 shows a top view of a Pi structure having multiple power converters interconnected in series, according to certain embodiments.

FIGS. 10A and 10B show triple junction power converters having a double pass configuration and characterized by a single area (FIG. 10A) or four quadrant area (FIG. 10B), according to certain embodiments.

FIGS. 11A and 11B show photographs of the top view of the triple junction power converters shown schematically in FIGS. 10A and 10B, respectively.

FIG. 12 shows the efficiency, power output, and voltage at maximum power point (Mpp) as a function of laser input power for single, double, and triple lattice-matched GaInNAsSb junction power converters.

FIG. 13 shows the normalized density of current (J) as a function of voltage for several laser input power levels for single, double and triple lattice-matched GaInNAsSb junction power converters.

Reference is now made in detail to embodiments of the present disclosure. While certain embodiments of the present disclosure are described, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present disclosure to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, reference to embodiments of the present disclosure is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In certain embodiments provided by the present disclosure, two or more epitaxial layers of the same semiconductor material grown on a substrate, such as GaInNAs, GaInNAsSb, GaAs, Ge, GaSb, InP or other substrate known in the art, are stacked on top of one another with tunnel junctions in between each epitaxial layer. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a monolithic multijunction power converter in which E₁, E₂, and E₃ represent semiconductor materials having the same bandgap. Each epitaxial layer has the same bandgap, which is roughly matched to the energy of the monochromatic light source to minimize minority carrier and thermal losses. In certain embodiments, the light source reaches the uppermost epitaxial layer furthest from the substrate. In some embodiments, the epitaxial layer material may be a dilute-nitride material, such as GaInNAs or GaInNAsSb, or other dilute nitride known in the art. In some embodiments, the monochromatic light source is between 1 micron and up to 1.55 microns, and in certain embodiments, the light source is approximately 1.3 microns. While some current may be lost through light absorption by the tunnel junction(s), light that is not collected in the first epitaxial layer is collected in the second epitaxial layer, and so on. The overall efficiency of such a device may reach at least 50% power efficiency, such as from 50% to 60% or from 50% to 70%. In certain embodiments, the power conversion efficiency of a single junction power converter is at least 20% such as from 20% to 40%. In certain embodiments, the power conversion efficiency of a single junction power converter is at least 30% such as from 30% to 50%. In certain embodiments, three junction devices provided by the present disclosure exhibit a conversion efficiency from about 23% to about 25% over an input power from about 0.6 W to about 6 W when irradiated with 1.32 micron radiation.

In certain embodiments, three or more epitaxial layers of the same semiconductor material grown on a substrate such as GaInNAs, GaInNAsSb, GaAs, Ge, GaSb, InP or other substrate known in the art, are stacked on top of one another with tunnel junctions in between each epitaxial layer. Increasing the number of junctions in a power converter device can result in increased fill factor, increased open circuit voltage (Voc) and decreased short circuit current (Jsc). Each epitaxial layer has the same bandgap, which is roughly matched to the energy of the monochromatic light source to minimize minority carrier and thermal losses. In certain embodiments, the light source reaches the bottom most epitaxial layer closet to the substrate first. The substrate has a bandgap that is higher than the bandgap of the epitaxial layers. Given that the substrate has a higher bandgap than that of the epitaxial layers, the light source passes through the substrate and the light is absorbed by the epitaxial layers. An example of this employs GaInNAs epitaxial layers (bandgap of 0.95 eV) and a GaAs substrate (bandgap 1.42 eV). The light source in this example will not be absorbed by the GaAs substrate and will be absorbed by the GaInNAs active region. A heat sink can be coupled to the top of the uppermost epitaxial layer, and can serve to cool the device and prevent defects caused by overheating. In some embodiments, the epitaxial layer material may be a dilute-nitride material, such as GaInNAs or GaInNAsSb, or other dilute nitride known in the art. In some embodiments, the monochromatic light source has a wavelength between 1 micron and up to 1.55 microns, in certain embodiments, from 1 micron to 1.4 micron, and in certain embodiments the light source is approximately 1.3 microns. While some current may be lost through light absorption by the tunnel junction(s), light that is not collected in the first epitaxial layer can becollected in the second epitaxial layer, and so on. The overall efficiency of such a device may reach at least 50% power efficiency.

In certain embodiments, the light absorbing layer(s) comprise GaInNAsSb. In certain of the embodiments, a GaInNAsSb junction comprises Ga_(1−x)In_(x)N_(y)As_(1−y−z)Sb_(z), in which values for x, y, and z are 0≦x≦0.24, 0.01≦y≦0.07 and 0.001≦z≦0.20; in certain embodiments, 0.02≦x≦0.24, 0.01≦y≦0.07 and 0.001≦z≦0.03; in certain embodiments, 0.02≦x≦0.18, 0.01≦y≦0.04 and 0.001≦z≦0.03; in certain embodiments, 0.08≦x≦0.18, 0.025≦y≦0.04 and 0.001≦z≦0.03; and in certain embodiments, 0.06≦x≦0.20, 0.02≦y≦0.05 and 0.005≦z>0.02.

In certain of the embodiments, a GaInNAsSb junction comprises Ga_(1−x)In_(x)N_(y)As_(1−y−Z)Sb_(z), in which values for x, y, and z are 0≦x≦0.18, 0.001≦y≦0.05 and 0.001≦z≦0.15, and in certain embodiments, 0≦x≦0.18, 0.001≦y≦0.05 and 0.001≦z≦0.03; in certain embodiments, 0.02≦x≦0.18, 0.005≦y≦0.04 and 0.001≦z≦0.03; in certain embodiments, 0.04≦x≦0.18, 0.01≦y≦0.04 and 0.001≦z≦0.03; in certain embodiments, 0.06≦x≦0.18, 0.015≦y≦0.04 and 0.001≦z≦0.03; and in certain embodiments, 0.08≦x≦0.18, 0.025≦y≦0.04 and 0.001≦z≦0.03.

In certain embodiments, a GaInNAsSb junction is characterized by a bandgap of 0.92 eV and comprises Ga_(1−x)In_(x)N_(y)As_(1−y−z)Sb_(z), in which values for x, y, and z are: x is 0.175, y is 0.04, and 0.012≦z≦0.019.

In certain embodiments, a GaInNAsSb junction is characterized by a bandgap of 0.90 eV and comprises Ga_(1−x)In_(x)N_(y)As_(1−y−z)Sb_(z), in which values for x, y, and z are: x is 0.18, y is 0.045, and 0.012≦z≦0.019.

In certain embodiments, a GaInNAsSb junction is comprises Ga_(1−x)In_(x)N_(y)As_(1−y−z)Sb_(z), in which values for x, y, and z are: 0.13≦x≦0.19, 0.03≦y≦0.048, and 0.007≦z≦0.02.

In certain embodiments, a GaInNAsSb junction comprises Ga_(1−x)In_(x)N_(y)As_(1−y−z)Sb_(z), in which values for x, y, and z are selected to have a band gap that matches or closely matches the energy of the radiation used to deliver power to the device. In certain embodiments, the GaInNAsSb junction is substantially lattice matched to a GaAs substrate. It is to be noted that the general understanding of “substantially lattice matched” is that the in-plane lattice constants of the materials in their fully relaxed states differ by less than 0.6% when the materials are present in thicknesses greater than 100 nm. Further, subcells that are substantially lattice matched to each other as used herein means that all materials in the subcells that are present in thicknesses greater than 100 nm have in-plane lattice constants in their fully relaxed states that differ by less than 0.6%.

In certain embodiments, each of the epitaxial layers in the power converter is lattice matched to a GaAs substrate.

In certain embodiments, the use of layering materials of different refractive indices can produce distributed Bragg reflectors (DBR) within the structure and is used to increase the efficiency of the power converter. One such example uses a dilute nitride material, which in certain embodiments is a GaInNAsSb material, as the absorbing material in the epitaxial stack of the structure. A cavity can be grown using a material such as GaAs/AlGaAs as a DBR below the dilute nitride layer and above the substrate, and another DBR grown above the dilute nitride layer, that can be made of semiconductors or a number of oxides.

In certain embodiments, where the substrate has a higher bandgap than the absorbing material, a back-side metal can be used as structured mirror, allowing unabsorbed light to be reflected from the back metal to be reabsorbed in the epitaxial layers above. Examples of resonant cavity power converters using the double pass configuration are shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. FIG. 2A shows a single junction resonant cavity with a top DBR and a bottom DBR. A single GaInNAsSb junction is disposed between the two DBRs and separated from the DBRs by semiconductor layers d1 and d2. Semiconductor layers may be formed from a material that does not appreciably absorb the incident radiation and that can be lattice matched to GaAs and the absorbing layer, and in certain embodiments can be GaAs. The thickness of d1, d2 and a GaInNAsSb junction can be selected to provide a standing wave at the wavelength of the incident radiation. FIG. 2B shows a similar configuration as shown in FIG. 2A but includes multiple GaInNAsSb junctions with each of the junctions separated by a tunnel junction. The thickness of the GaInNAsSb junction can be from about 100 nm to about 1 micron. In certain embodiments, the substrate is a semi-insulating or n-doped GaAs substrate with a back-metal as the bottom-most layer of the structure.

For use with 1 micron to 1.55 micron radiation, the mirror layer can be, for example, gold or gold/nickel alloys.

In certain embodiments, the power converter structure uses one DBR instead of two. Resonant power converters employing a single DBR are shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. FIG. 3A shows a single GaInNAsSb junction disposed between two semiconductor layers d1 and d2. These layers overly a bottom DBR, which overlies a substrate. The upper surface of the device, such as the upper surface of layer d1 facing the incident radiation may be coated with an antireflection coating. The antireflection coating may be optimized for the wavelength of the incident radiation to reduce scatteing. FIG. 3B shows a single DBR resonant cavity configuration having multiple GaInNAsSb junctions.

In certain embodiments, the power converter structure includes one DBR and a back mirror below the substrate. Such device configurations are shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5A, and 5B. FIGS. 4A and 4B show power converters having a top DBR a resonant cavity including a single GaInNAsSb junction between two semiconductor layers d1 and d2, and a back mirror beneath semiconductor layer d2. In certain embodiments, the back mirror can also serve as an electrical contact. A multi junction power converter is shown in FIG. 4B in which multiple GaInNAsSb junctions are disposed between a top DBR and a back mirror.

In the power converters shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B both a DBR and a back mirror are used at the bottom of the device. In this configuration the thickness of the DBR can be reduced compared to a configuration with a bottom DBR without the back mirror. As with other devices, the upper surface of layer D1 may include an antireflection coating. In certain embodiments, the substrate is removed and a metal is used it its place as a back mirror. In such structures, the light passes through the top DBR, then through the epitaxial layers, then through the bottom DBR and finally hits the back mirror. In these embodiments, the epitaxial layer comprises GaInNAsSb as one or more absorbing layers.

In certain embodiments, the upper most layer of the structure comprises an interface air-semiconductor above the epitaxial layers, which may comprise of one or more layers of GaInNAsSb. Below the epitaxial layer is a bottom DBR which overlays a back mirror. In these embodiments, the light hits the upper most layer of the interface air-semiconductor and moves to the epitaxial layer, then the DBR and finally reflects back through the structure after being reflected by the back mirror.

Resonant cavity configurations with two DBRs and a top substrate layer are shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. The top substrate layer is substantially transparent to the incident radiation used to generate the power. In certain embodiments, the substrate can be GaAs such as n-type GaAs and can have a thickness from about 150 microns to about 250 microns, such as from 175 microns to 225 microns. The thickness of the substrate can be thinned, for example, by grinding or etching to minimize absorption and in such embodiments can be 50 microns or less. In certain embodiments, the bottom DBR can be bonded to a heatsink. Bonding the DBR directly to the heatsink can reduce the temperature of the power converter.

FIGS. 7A and 7B shown device configurations similar to those shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B but with the bottom DBR replaced with a back mirror.

In certain embodiments, the structure has intra-cavity contacts to avoid resistivity from the DBR structures. The contact is made in the cavity through lateral transport conducting layers (LCL) bypassing the DBR structures. Power converters having intra-cavity contacts are shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. In these device structures the epitaxial layers are etched down to either an LCL overlying the bottom DBR or to an LCL overlying semiconductor layer d1. The LCLs improve carrier mobility to the electrical contacts (back contact and top contact) and can be formed, for example, from doped GaAs such as n-type GaAs. LCLs and similar etch back electrical contacts can be employed with other device structures provided by the present disclosure.

In certain embodiments, the structure can be grown inverted. In such cases, the substrate can be thinned down to a certain thickness or removed after growth using a variety of lift off techniques. The light passes through the substrate first before passing through the epitaxy layers. In such structures, the bandgap of the substrate is greater than the bandgap of the epitaxial layers.

Multiple photovoltaic converters comprised of a number of subcells connected in series can be constructed to increase the output voltage. The subcells can be connected in parallel for increasing output current. An example is a Pi structure as shown in FIG. 9. Infrared absorbers are typically characterized by low voltage; however, in certain application it is desirable to increase the voltage of the power converter. This can be accomplished by connecting multiple power converters in series. One such configuration, of which a top-down view is shown in FIG. 9, is referred to as a Pi structure in which multiple power converter cells are disposed in concentric rings around a central axis, where each cell is separated by an insulator and the multiple cells or subsets of the multiple cells are connected in series. Such structures can be fabricated using single junctions and provide a high density of cells. The higher voltages provide improved DC-DC converter efficiencies and lower Ohmic losses. Although later currents can produce Ohmic losses this can be offset because the increased number of sub-cells results in lower currents.

Other device structures are shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B. FIG. 10A shows single a triple junction double pass power converter. FIG. 10B shows a four quadrant triple junction double pass power converter. The dimensions of the devices are 300 microns by 300 microns. The four converters can be interconnected in series to increase the voltage and/or decrease the current. The series interconnection can also reduce the sensitivity to spatial orientation of the incident radiation. Furthermore, for large area power converters, separating the collection area into quadrants or other sub-areas can reduce the Ohmic losses by bringing the electrical contacts closer to the power generating surfaces. Photographs of the single and four quadrant devices are shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B.

The power converters shown in FIGS. 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B were fabricated using GaInNAsSb junctions. All epitaxial layers were lattice matched to a GaAs substrate. A back mirror is disposed at the bottom of the GaAs substrate. The resonant cavity of the three junction structures was configured to support a standing wave at about 1.3 microns, such as at 1.32 microns or at1.342 microns. The bandgap of the GaInNAsSb junctions was about 0.92 eV for devices configured for power conversion at 1.32 microns. Certain of such devices exhibited a fill factor from about 65% to about 75%, a Voc of from about 1.47 V to about 1.5 V and a Jsc from about 0.6 A to about 1.4 A. The power conversion efficiency was from about 23% to 25% at an input power from about 0.6 W to about 6 W.

In certain embodiments, the two or more epitaxial layers of the same semiconductor material are of varying thicknesses. In particular, the epitaxial layers can decrease in thickness the further away from the light source. In certain embodiments, the thicknesses of each of the epitaxial layers are the same. In certain embodiments, the thicknesses of the epitaxial layers are varied, either increasing nor decreasing depending on the light source location.

In some embodiments, there is a window layer on top of the upper most epitaxial layer.

In certain embodiments, the thickness, or height, of the entire device may be between 1 micron and up to 10 microns. The area of the power converter can be, for example, between 100 microns×100 microns, and up to 1 cm×1 cm, or more. For example the total area is from 10⁻⁴ cm² to 1 cm². The thickness of each epitaxial layer may be between a few hundred nanometers up to a few microns.

FIG. 12 shows the efficiency, power output and voltage at maximum power point (Mpp) as a function of laser input power for single (open circle), double (square), and triple (plus) GaInNAsSb junction power converters.

FIG. 13 shows the normalized current density (J) as a function of voltage for several laser input power levels for single (open circle), double (square), and triple (plus) GaInNAsSb junction power converters.

Finally, it should be noted that there are alternative ways of implementing the embodiments disclosed herein. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive. Furthermore, the claims are not to be limited to the details given herein, and are entitled their full scope and equivalents thereof. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A power converter, comprising: one or more GaInNAsSb junctions; a first semiconductor layer overlying the one or more GaInNAsSb junctions; and a second semiconductor layer underlying the one or more GaInNAsSb junctions; wherein a thickness of the one or more GaInNAsSb junctions, the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer are selected to provide a resonant cavity at an irradiated wavelength.
 2. The power converter of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more GaInNAsSb junctions, is lattice matched to GaAs; comprises Ga_(1−x)In_(x)N_(y)As_(1−y−z)Sb_(z), in which values for x, y, and z are 0≦x≦0.24, 0.01≦y≦0.07 and 0.001≦z≦0.20; and is characterized by a bandgap corresponding to the energy of the irradiated wavelength.
 3. The power converter of claim 1, wherein the wavelength is from 1.3 microns to 1.55 microns.
 4. The power converter of claim 1, wherein the wavelength is 1.30 microns to 1.35 microns.
 5. The power converter of claim 1, comprising: a first distributed Bragg reflector overlying the first semiconductor layer; a second distributed Bragg reflector underlying the second semiconductor layer; or a first distributed Bragg reflector overlying the first semiconductor layer and a second distributed Bragg reflector underlying the second semiconductor layer.
 6. The power converter of claim 1, comprising: a first distributed Bragg reflector overlying the first semiconductor layer; a second distributed Bragg reflector underlying the second semiconductor layer; and a substrate underlying the second distributed Bragg reflector.
 7. The power converter of claim 1, comprising: a second distributed Bragg reflector underlying the second semiconductor layer; and a substrate underlying the second distributed Bragg reflector.
 8. The power converter of claim 7, comprising an antireflection coating overlying the first semiconductor layer.
 9. The power converter of claim 1, comprising: a first distributed Bragg reflector overlying the first semiconductor layer; and a back mirror underlying the second semiconductor layer.
 10. The power converter of claim 1, comprising: a second distributed Bragg reflector underlying the second semiconductor layer; and a back mirror underlying the second distributed Bragg reflector.
 11. The power converter of claim 1, comprising: a first distributed Bragg reflector overlying the first semiconductor layer; a second distributed Bragg reflector underlying the second semiconductor layer; and a substrate overlying the first distributed Bragg reflector.
 12. The power converter of claim 1, comprising: a first distributed Bragg reflector overlying the first semiconductor layer; a substrate overlying the first distributed Bragg reflector; and a back mirror underlying the second semiconductor layer.
 13. The power converter of claim 1, comprising: a first lateral conductive layer overlying the first semiconductor layer; and a second lateral conductive layer overlying the second semiconductor layer.
 14. The power converter of claim 13, comprising: a first electrical contact to the first lateral conductive layer overlying the first semiconductor layer; and a second electrical contact to the second lateral conductive layer overlying the second semiconductor layer.
 15. The power converter of claim 1, characterized by an efficiency of at least 20% at an irradiated input power from 0.6 W to 6 W.
 16. A power converter, comprising a plurality of the power converters of claim 1 configured in a Pi structure.
 17. A power converter, comprising a plurality of the power converters of claim 1 interconnected in series. 